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Science

Basking sharks can be found in coastal waters and feed on plankton.

Wild Things: Life as We Know It

From zombie caterpillars to basking sharks at sea

Pseudoryx nghetinhensis Saola (aka Vu Quang ox) 4 - 5 month old female at the Forest Inventory & Planning Institute Botanical Garden. Hanoi, Vietnam

A Wildlife Mystery in Vietnam

The discovery of the saola alerted scientists to the strange diversity of Southeast Asia’s threatened forests

Where did you think tomato paste came from? A harvester in California’s Sacramento Valley gathers tons of Roma-type tomatoes for Morning Star, the world’s largest tomato-processing company.

A Passion for Tomatoes

Whatever the variety—commercial hybrid or precious heirloom—the plump juicy “vegetable” has a place in our hearts

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Tainted Tomatoes

A food-poisoning scare spurs debate

When it dives, the platypus closes its eyes, ears and nostrils and finds its food through electrical receptors in its bill that detect the movement of small prey.

On the Evolutionary Gold Mine Down Under

What the platypus and other Australian species reveal about genetics

Termite digestion of wood pulp is the subject of research into potential new biofuels

Termite Bellies and Biofuels

Scientist Falk Warnecke’s research into termite digestion may hold solutions to our energy crisis

China Counts Four Bundles of Panda Joy

A Triceratops roams Michigan

Dinosaur Dig Checks in from Montana

Hat tip to Bad Astronomy, who is currently on something of a lunar bender owing to Apollo 11′s 40th anniversary and an actual time-lapse, color video of the moon crossing in front of the Earth.

Fly Me to the Moon

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Arctic Dispatch: A Thaw in the Arctic Tundra

Researchers at the Toolik Field Station study thermokarst to understand the ecological effects of climate change

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The Life-Saving Qualities of Expensive Gas

Micro-Fossils Reveal Dinosaur Colors and Ancient Sea Life

The aptly-named town of Coldfoot

Arctic Dispatch: A Toolik Farewell

After leaving Toolik, the team finds points of interest on the road back to Fairbanks

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Arctic Dispatch: Looking at the Lakes

Alaska’s Arctic lakes are a source of methane experiments for a warming planet

Grand Canyons of Ice

The always-popular sauna in Toolik

Arctic Dispatch: The Toolik Way of Life

Gourmet fare, live music and 24-hour Arctic summer sun make life in Toolik hard to beat

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Dinosaur Dispatch: Day 1

Michelle Coffey moves from biology class to the Bighorn Basin and prepares for her first dinosaur dig

Belemnite fossils found during the first day in the field

Dinosaur Dispatch: Days 3 and 4

The paleontology team is finally in place. After setting up camp, the dig begins. Fossils are found and dinosaur tracks investigated

On the march back from the Death March site, everyone carries bags of sediment

Dinosaur Dispatch: Days 6, 7 and 8

The team survives the Death March dig and makes an essential stop in Thermopolis

The search yields bones believed to be from a sauropod, a suborder of dinosaurs

Dinosaur Dispatch: Days 9, 10 and 11

A new site and more digging yields a dinosaur discovery

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